Chungking Express

It takes a hip man to make tender love stories. Wong Kar-wai, the tall, slim Hong Konger in the cool shades, is just the dude to capture modern romance. In films like Happy Together, In the Mood for Love and 2046 he creates characters desperately, comically aware of their lovelorn status, then devises a smoky, sensual, slow-mo environment that both caresses and entombs them. If you’re new to his work, Chungking, which tells two stories of policemen in love with very unreliable women, is a terrific starter set. Sexy actors (including Hero’s Tony Leung Chiu-wai and all-time ravisher Brigitte Lin) groping toward love in a neon nightscape full of mystery and fun — honestly, what else do you need in a movie?